What's the liklihood of a seller dropping the price if it doesn't appraise equal to or higher than the selling price?

I just signed the P&S and waiting for the appraisal. I know the property must appraise equal to or higher than the selling price in order to secure the mortgage loan but what happens if the appraised value falls short by $1-$5k? What are the chances of the seller lowering the price? This property was purchased by an investor five months ago and flipped it so I know he will profit in a big way. With winter around the corner coming to a close, I'm thinking the seller will meet the appraised price because I don't think the seller will want to take it off the market and wait till spring.

Answers

It's always difficult to predict what individual sellers will do, but the reality of the situation is that the buyers bank will not lend an amount over the appraised value, so if the seller refuses to lower their price they're going to lose the deal and would encounter the same problem with any other offer down the road.

Hi, It really depends on thes seller. Once you know the personality type you are dealing with then it's easier to guage. Since the seller in this case is a flipper you have a pretty good chance. Flipping is a business and the longer they hold onto the property the more they lose on their investment. Time is of the essence when flipping!

If the home was listed with FHA/VA financing accepted, the owner/investor should be adequately experienced to anticipate the scenario you describe. RELAX.
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If however, the home was not listed with FHA/VA financing accepted, you have imposed thousands of additional dollars of cost on the seller in addition to a gamed appraisal.
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If it were my listing, which would have appeared 'AS-IS' cash or conventional, you will need to pay in cash the difference in negotiated price and appraised value. I will have six buyers waiting for you to stumble or cause negotiations to be reopened.
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There is much we do not know regarding your situation. However, experience suggests you can RELAX. Investors like to see happy folks moving into a home they just rehabilitated. Many are noble folks looking to match beautiful homes with deserving home seekers.
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Merry Christmas.

Seller never like having to drop their price and some refuse to do so , however thee Sellers are generally delusional. Investors owners who are flipping are likely to be irrational, if the home appraises for less than your contract my guess is they will meet the appraised value and move on. If you're getting an FHA loan then this appraisal is legally on record for 6 months and the Seller must disclose it

With a scenario as outlined, it would seem that there should be room for the seller to move if the property doesn't appraise but this will come down to his/her level of motivation. This is usually tied to a number of factors including the amount invested, their need to move the property(perhaps for another investment), personal needs, etc.

Today more than ever, listing agents need to take great care when assigning "asking prices" to property because as you are finding, if financed, they must appraise to avoid complications.

No point in worrying until the numbers come in.....I like your chances!

Often sellers will renegotiate price but other times they won't. Typically if a seller won't renegotiate the buyer may have to come up with enough money to compensate for the lower appraisal. I think this is a cross-that-bridge-when-you-come-to-it scenario. You just won't know until you hear back about the appraisal so try not to stress.

Appraisals have become more of an issue as prices are increasing. It's ironic - in a declining market appraisals are easy since past sales prices were higher. So even though your property may be worth less in the coming months appraisals were easy. Now as the market is improving appraisals are more challenging.

Great question on price dropping. I've had it go both ways. However in most cases the seller will agree to drop the price if they can. Some sellers are still underwater and they cannot. And sometimes the buyer will want the house so bad that they will come to the table with the extra money needed to close. That being said it is highly unlikely that the investor won't drop the price. I wish you the best!

That's what happened to me with a previous property. The appraisal came in very low, $20k lower. I really wanted it and offered extra money (at least a quarter of that amount) and the seller didn't drop an inch so the deal fell through. Throughout the whole process though the seller appeared to be anxious to sell and was ready to move. Unfortunately, the property is still not sold and has been on the market for 90+ days with no drop in the price. Seems odd to me.

I can't see someone maintaining the price if the appraisal came in under the list price. Unless there was something extremely unique about that property and it was a seller's market, chances are they will have to come down on the price or risk not having that property sold for a very long time. Plus with it being an investor they care more about moving the property asap. In the end it would cost them more to wait on 1000 than to lower it.

That's what my realtor thinks too! She thinks the seller will come down if it does appraise lower and she doesn't think it would appraise too low off the list price. I saw on Zillow that this property has an estimated value that $2k higher than the selling price but I'm not sure who reliable Zillow is with their estimates.